California Zephyr
The California Zephyr is an Amtrak passenger train. Description The California Zephyr runs daily between Chicago, IL and Oakland, CA (San Francisco via the Thruway Motorcoach). The train started in 1949 being operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (Chicago - Denver), Denver and Rio Grande Western (Denver - Salt Lake City) and the Western Pacific (Salt Lake City - Oakland). The train was discontinued in 1970 due to lake of ridership and loss of money. The only remnant of the train was the California Service by the CB&Q from Chicago to Denver and the'' ''Rio Grande Zephyr from Denver to Salt Lake City (later extended to Ogden to connect with the City of San Francisco). Since the D&RGW refused to give their passengers to Amtrak, the primary connection between Chicago and San Francisco was Amtrak's San Francisco Zephyr on the Overland Route. However in 1983, the D&RGW reversed their decision and the California Zephyr restarted exactly like the original (except for the Sierra Nevada Range, with the UP-WP Feather River Route being replaced the Southern Pacific Donner Pass route). Amtrak has operated the train ever since. The lines served include the BNSF Railway Line (Metra), D&RGW Moffat Tunnel Subdivision, Soldier Summit and Donner Pass. The train is often pulled by Stella, Alice, Elena, Lily, Marie, Marty or Neville. The train a Bi-Level Superliner train. Consist * 2-3 Engines * 3-4 Material Handling Cars * 1 Baggage Car * 1 Superliner Transition Sleeping Car * 4 Superliner Sleeping Cars * 1 Superliner Sightseer Lounge Car * 1 Superliner Dining Car * 3 Superliner Coach Cars (one being a Coach/Baggage Car Journey Description After leaving Chicago Union Station, the train passes along the Illinois farms and fields after leaving metropolitan Chicago behind. The train enters the state of Iowa after crossing the Mississippi River on a Swing Bridge to Burlington, IA. The trains passes through Western Iowa and all of Nebraska at night, making a stop at Omaha, NE. By morning, the train enters eastern Colorado and stops at Denver, CO for servicing. At Denver, the train leaves the plains behind and enters the Rocky Mountains. The train will climb the Front Range, before reaching the summit at the Continental Divide (9,239 ft above sea level) where the train passes through the 6.2 mile long Moffat Tunnel. After exiting the tunnel, the trains heads down hill, stopping at Fraser-Winter Park. The train passes through three canyons, Byers Canyon, Gore Canyon and Glenwood Canyon, following the Colorado River. The train then makes a stop at Glenwood Springs, CO. After passing through Palisades, CO, the train heads through Ruby Canyon, where it leaves the Colorado River behind and crosses the border into Eastern Utah. The train makes a stop at Thompson, UT, which is a 33 minute drive to Arches National Park. The train passes the spectacular Book Cliffs. The train passes Price, UT, where it climbs Soldier Summit, leaving the line at Provo, UT. The train makes a night arrival at Salt Lake City, UT, where another crew change takes place for the last part of the trip to San Francisco. The train passes through Western Utah and Most of Nevada at night. By morning, the train reaches Reno, NV. After departing Reno, the trains begins to climb the Sierra Nevada Range via Donner Pass. The train enters California at Truckee and passes the spectacular Donner Lake at an elevation of 7,056 ft. The train stops at Sacramento and crosses the Sacramento River, passing the Delta King River Boat. The train then gives the passengers a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean at San Pablo Bay and Pinole, CA. The California Zephyr makes it's last stop at Oakland, CA, where the train terminates. From Oakland, passengers change with the Amtrak Thruway Coach to cross the San Francisco Bay to reach it's destination at San Francisco, CA. Appearances Episodes * Day Off Shorts * TBA Specials * TBA Trivia * This train is Mr3801Fan 26' favorite Amtrak train. * This train's primary appearance is inspired by it's appearance in America By Rail: The Heartland. Category:Amtrak Category:Passenger Trains Category:CB&Q Category:D&RGW Category:Western Pacific